If you’re one of the many Americans who has always dreamed of a beautiful getaway of your own, you’re not alone. Lodges make an excellent vacation home and even a valuable source of income if you’re open to renting.
Building a custom lodge can be an exciting and rewarding experience. It provides you with an exceptionally unique property, giving you a chance to express yourself creatively through your one-of-a-kind facility.
Custom Lodge Building with the Pros
Whether you intend to make your brand-new lodge a vacation home, a country retreat, or a residence to be rented out at your leisure, taking a custom approach is a surefire way to make the most of your investment. However, like with any construction project, it’s important to have a solid plan in place before beginning your lodge building.
In that spirit, here are five essential steps to take when constructing a lodge with a custom builder:
1. Find Your Ideal Location
One of the first steps in building a custom lodge is to find the perfect location. You may already have an idea in mind — the mountains, the lakeside, or maybe the shore. Before you land on an exact location, consider factors like the surrounding environment, reasonable accessibility, and local zoning regulations.
This step of the process doesn’t need to be navigated alone. If you want advice for choosing your perfect spot, you can get a custom builder to ensure that the location you choose is suitable for the type of lodge you want to build. If you’re unsure about where to begin your search, your custom builder may be able to provide you with some options based on their experience and network.
2. Get Your Local Custom Builder Involved
If you haven’t already, it’s time to get your local custom builder involved in your project. Once you’ve found your ideal location, it can be hugely helpful to get the advice of experts on the next steps of your lodge building.
Custom builders bring a load of experience and expertise to the table, all of which you’ll want to take advantage of in your design process.
“Local” is a key part of the equation here. Familiarity with the area means up-to-date knowledge of local regulations as well as valuable insight into the landscape you hope to build on.
Look for a builder with experience in lodge building — this will help to ensure a seamless construction process so you can focus on the part that matters most to you: achieving your vision.
3. Draft Up Your Lodge Design
After you’ve chosen a custom builder, it’s time for the fun part: designing your lodge. In this step, you’ll work closely with your contractor to arrive at a plan for your project that aligns with your budget, timeline, and goals. One of the many benefits of going custom for lodge building is the vast selection of options that become available for your lodge design, giving you the highest degree of control over the final result.
The process of drafting up your design can be intricate. It may involve creating a floor plan, selecting materials and finishes, and choosing fixtures and appliances. Rely on your custom builder to lend you guidance and suggestions throughout the design process to ensure that your dream lodge ends up just as functional as it is beautiful.
4. Obtain Any Necessary Permits
Before beginning the actual construction, it’s important to obtain any permits required by local regulations. Because they can vary from region to region, some of these requirements may be difficult to predict or understand.
Fortunately, your custom builder should be familiar with local zoning regulations and related factors. They know exactly how to obtain permits for things like building, electrical, plumbing, and septic systems before beginning construction to avoid any delays, complications, or penalties.
Ask your custom builder to help guide you through the process of obtaining permits.
5. Get Started Lodge Building
Once you’ve obtained your permits and mapped out a comprehensive plan, it’s finally time to start lodge building. The construction itself may take some time, depending on the scale of your project. However, by this point, you’ll have already done the legwork. All that’s left to do is sit back and watch your custom builder work their magic.
Your custom builder will oversee the construction process, ensuring that everything is built according to your plan and providing updates along the way. The hardest part of this step is simply waiting, but the time investment will be well worth the result. Sit back and watch as your vision comes to life before your very eyes.
Find Your Lodge Building Team Today
While custom lodge building can be a long process, it can be extremely rewarding as well. With the right custom builder on your side, nothing can stand between you and the ideal lodge you’ve been dreaming of.
For the best custom building experience in the southeast, contact VPC Builders. From mountaintop ski lodges to pleasant lakeside getaways, there’s no kind of lodge we can’t bring to life. We’d love to hear about your vision.
Want to know more about custom lodge building? Contact VPC Builders today.